A Change of Fate
by ProphetCandy
Summary: Severus and Lily were switched at birth, and what we get is a messy rebellious girl known as Lily Snape, and a more innocent boy known as "Sev" Evans. Review if you want to see more.
1. Chapter 1

For the first nine years of his life, Severus grew up in a household that nourished him and cared for him the proper way a family should. There were a few changes, though... his last name was now Evans.

For the first nine years of _her_ life, Lily grew up in an excuse for a house with an abusive father who ignored her good qualities and focused on the fact that she took after her adoptive witch mother. Her last name? Snape.

It would appear that Lady Fate had switched the babies at birth. Either that, or the National Health Service confused their babies on a regular basis. Either way, the Evans family and the Snape lived next to each other for many years without even knowing about it. They would soon come to know that the children they had loved (or hated) were more special that one could imagine. Yes, they had magical abilities, but they also shared a future in an alternate universe that affected the timeline massively.

* * *

><p>Lily didn't mind wearing her fathers old clothes. Sure, they were too big for her and they weren't in any way clean, but it was better than running around naked. Lifting up the sleeves of the large red plaid shirt that she wore like a costume, Lily sat at the tree she had been to many times before. Since she was seven, all she wanted to do was escape her horrible life at home, bringing her mother with her, and leaving her bastard father behind. Alas, it would be difficult getting to Hogwarts without a home (the irony). She had observed lots of kids who ventured through this park, but she was met with bouts of "freak" and "weirdo" because of the way she dressed and how she lingered in the shadow of the tree. But what could she do? Everything she wore from her hair to her feet was inherited from her abusive, alcoholic father. Everything else was hopeless.<p>

Only further down the hill, Severus and Petunia Evans sat on the grass bank with several daisies growing nearby. Severus no longer donned his Muggle father's old clothes, but instead wore store-bought Muggle clothes that were his size. His hair was no longer greasy or long, now it was clean and cut short. Curious, he picked up a daisy and showed it to his sister. "Tuney, this is a nice one, don't you think?" He asked her innocently.

Petunia scoffed. "Aren't you a bit old for playing with _flowers_, Sev? God, you're such a baby." She stood up and walked away.

Severus rose to his feet slowly. "I'm not... you're just being mean to me again." Petunia laughed at his words. Infuriated by her words, he held out his hand. "Hey Tuney, if I'm such a baby, could I do this?" As soon as she turned around, Severus' hand produced a small butterfly that flew up and circled him.

Despite his attempt to prove his maturity to Petunia, she wasn't as enthralled. "You... little freak, I'm telling mummy." She threatened. Severus started walking up the hill to avoid her.

Petunia followed him with anger. "Sev, come here! Sev! Get back here, now!" She shouted.

Lily heard the exclamation of the young girl and rose from her spot behind the tree. Observing the siblings in distress, she initially figured them to be annoying Muggles. Until she witnessed Severus conjuring a butterfly from within his palm.

She walked out in front of it, shocking both Severus and Petunia in the process.

Petunia gazed angrily at Lily. "What are you looking at? Go away, weirdo." Lily scowled at Petunia's horrid response.

Severus, however, was not displeased at the sight of the messy, baggy-clothed girl. "Wh-who are you?" he asked.

The messy girl stepped out of the tree's light shadow and flicked her untidy hair back. "I'm Lily Snape. I saw what you did there, that was skillful magic."0

He smiled. The dark-haired bratty sister seemed horrified. "Magic? Oh, I know you, I've seen you before, hiding away in your pathetic little tree spying on people. Well you don't know anything about my little brother, so stay away from us..."

Severus stepped forward, ignoring her sister's harsh words. "Did you say I could do magic?"

Lily smiled and brushed her hair back once more. "Yes, I wasn't sure at first, but now I know..." she left out the part of him being a wizard to avoid further insults from his sister.

"Know what?" he asked eagerly.

"You're a wizard." she said happily. "And I'm a witch... my mother's a witch too, but not my-"

Petunia interrupted the madness. "Sev, don't listen to her, she's a freak! What kind of girl dresses up in oversized dirty clothes?"

Lily picked up a small twig and pointed it at her. "In two years, when I get my wand, I'll blast you to pieces, you foolish Muggle."

She laughed. "What the hell is a Muggle?" Severus did not laugh, nor did he seem happy with his sister.

"Tuney, why are you being so mean to her?" he asked. Lily smiled and blushed slightly as he realized that the boy wasn't on her side in this matter.

"Fine, if you two want to become freak best friends, then don't come crying to me when it ends!" Petunia exclaimed as she stormed off.

"I'm Severus, by the way. Severus Evans." He shook her rough dirty hand. "Can you tell me more about being a... wizard?"

The two magical children sat the bank of the river, unaware how late it had gotten.

Severus sat up and turned to Lily who was pulling her dads old trousers up. "Lily?"

"Yeah, Sev?" she replied.

"Does it make a difference, being a Muggleborn?" he asked.

Lily sighed and messed up her hair so it didn't fall in front of her eyes. "No, not really... my dad's a Muggle, and he doesn't really approve of magic anyway..."

Severus looked saddened when she talked about her abusive father. "Oh, that's good... I meant about the Muggleborn thing, not about your.. dad..." he realized it had gotten slightly more awkward.

The girl lay back and rested her head on the grassy bank. "I've got a secret, Sev..."

"If you don't want to tell me, I respect that." he added.

"No, no, it's fine..." she sighed. "The truth is, you're the fourth person I've spoken to in my entire life." Severus did not react badly, much to Lily's pleasure. "And you're the only friend I've ever had." A tear filled her left eye.

Severus continued sitting in an upright position, but put his arms around Lily. He said nothing, and simply comforted her.

"Thank you, Sev." she said gently as she pulled into the embrace. She really did love this boy. And they had only talked for an hour.

As Severus stood up, he glanced over the river. "I have to go home before my mum worries..." Lily looked downtrodden. "But we can hang out tomorrow... it's a Saturday, so I don't have to go to school." Lily's expression rose to slightly happy.

"Bye, Sev." she said as the boy she put all her faith in left her side at the river bank.


	2. Chapter 2

**WARNING: This chapter contains scenes of an abusive theme, and light swearing. The age rating of this story has henceforth been raised. Nevertheless, here's another segment.**

Lily admired the drawing of her new best friend. Despite her defensive personality, Lily hid her feelings in stacks of paper drawings. She avoided using coloured pencils in order to maintain seriousness.

Pacing her room, she wondered whether or not she would actually give the drawing to Severus. Would it be too early in the friendship? Would he suspect she had early feelings for him? It seemed childish, and Lily did not want her first impression to be a silly little girl. She was a witch, a distinct heir to the Prince family. But the oldest alive member of the Prince family was married to a complete tosser called Tobias.

Bang, went the door three times. Lily was used to this sudden change in her peace. "Open the door, you little shit!" he yelled.

She was reluctant at first, but eventually gave into opening the door very narrowly. "What is it?"

He burst the door open, throwing Lily back somewhat. "Where were you earlier? The living room's an absolute state, you were supposed to be bloody cleanin' it!" he yelled, spit flying from his mouth at full acceleration.

Lily avoided looking the bastard in the eyes, and stared at the floor. "I was at the park... sorry..." her mere apology was said in a sarcastic tone, which only infuriated the drunken man.

Grabbing her by the hair on the side of her head, Tobias screamed at her. "You were at the park while I was workin' my arse off? You ungrateful little twat!" he thrust his fist towards the floor, and Lily fell sooner than expected. "You're just like your mother... she was a freak just like you, till I snapped her bloody "magic wand"... bunch of freaks, all of you..." he carried on.

Lily started sobbing without notice. She hated her deadbeat father, and wished he could just leave this town, this country, forever.

Tobias Snape laughed at the girl's reaction. "See? You're just a little girl, you have no right... no right to talk to me like that, you hear me?" he asked rudely. Lily didn't move a muscle, still cowering on the floor. "What's that over there?" he walked towards the table and snatched the drawing.

Lily got up quickly knowing he would ridicule her for the drawing. "That's mine, give it back!" she yelled.

"Pathetic. Drawing pictures of boys instead of having the guts to talk to them, absolutely pathetic."

Tobias ripped the drawing in half. Little did he know that he didn't rip any of the sketch. Opening the door, he left without another word.

Still sobbing, she picked up the intact half of the drawing. Almost as if apologizing to Severus himself, she muttered "I'm sorry." under her breath.

Lily stood up, and took the twig from her pocket that she threatened Petunia with earlier. It wasn't a wand, nor could she do anything with it, but it gave her a sense of power. If only she could make her father disappear.

* * *

><p>Severus, unaware he escaped that horrible life, sat at her parents dinner table eating happily. Joining him were Mr. Evans, Mrs. Evans and Petunia herself.<p>

Breaking the ice, Mrs. Evans put her cutlery down and turned to her son. "So, my little Sevvy's got a new friend, I hear. And a girl, as well!" she announced. Mr. Evans mentioned something of a "well done, lad".

Petunia scoffed and wiped her fingers on the cloth. "She's a freak, mum. She wears oversized clothing and said Sev was a wizard." However her disliking towards Lily, she noticed that her parents were happy that Sev had made a new friend. He would be off to secondary school in a few years and he needed to make more friends in order to not get left behind. Little did they know, Severus Evans wouldn't be going to a Muggle secondary school.

"_Petunia's_ just jealous because _Ellie _isn't going to the same school as her next year." he teased. Petunia kicked him under the table, to which he yelled in pain.

Mr. Evans pointed angrily at the two children. "Now stop it, both of you! Severus has made a friend, and that's very good for him."

They all went back to eating the meal.

Petunia perked up and latched onto her mother's right arm. "So mom, Elizabeth Mantle is having a party tomorrow night, could you possibly drive me there?"

Mrs. Evans sighed and looked at the calendar adjacent to her daughter's seat. "I don't know, darling, I'll think about it."

The girl scoffed and looked like she had been betrayed. "That's not fair! You drove Severus somewhere last week!" she complained.

"That was his opticians appointment! Luckily he doesn't need glasses, that'd be another thing to pay for, no doubt." Mrs. Evans explained.

Severus pulled a face at her sister and laughed. She kicked him under the table again, and _boy, did it hurt_.

"How about we all go to the cinemas next week? I bet there'll be a cracking new film on, won't there?" he asked his family who returned an unenthusiastic mutter of "yeah" and "whatever". Mr. Evans was a film fanatic, having gone to the theatre as a child on a regular basis.

While Mr. and Mrs. Evans talked about boring adult business, Petunia leaned over and whispered to Severus. "Why are you even friends with her? You're a nice boy, Sev, you could have more intelligent and kinder friends."

Severus shot her a glance. "You just don't know her like I do, that's all." he said trying to avoid the subject of magic.

Petunia scoffed. "You've known her for less than a day. If it weren't for your weird... magic thing then you would have done the sensible thing and came home at once." she lectured.

"Yes, well, I'm spending the day with her tomorrow, so I shall get to know her better." he said.

Her jaw dropped suddenly. "Haven't you got homework?" he shook his head. "You can't spend all your time with that freak, she might get the wrong idea."

"Wh-what do you mean by that?" he inquired nervously.

Rolling her eyes, Petunia leaned closer to Severus. "She might think you want to join her weird little fantasy cult thing and become a witch- or wizard, like her. Don't buy into it."

After hearing such nonsense, Severus excused himself from the table and went to bed. He hadn't told Petunia or his family about the possibility of going to Hogwarts, and he didn't plan on doing it until he was sure it existed.

* * *

><p>It wasn't until late into the night did Lily appear at the window of Severus' bedroom. She had found the house, which pleased her, but she didn't want to wake Severus incase her father found out she had been snooping around other people's houses.<p>

So instead, she focused on getting a small rock with a note tied to it through the bedroom window. And she focused on what Severus meant to her, and why she wanted to see him tomorrow, and it just clicked.

"Bye, Sev. See you tomorrow." she whispered.

Lily Snape walked home in the same clothes she had been wearing for two weeks. _I need to take a bath, get clean clothes... oh god, I bet Sev thinks I'm a pig, _she thought while walking home. Raising her left arm, she sniffed underneath and shrugged to herself.

At first she was caught off guard by meeting Severus in a pair of clothes such as these, but tomorrow she would make an effort. For him. And maybe for her hygiene.

Severus hadn't slept all night. The thought of becoming a wizard with his new friend was driving him nuts, and he enjoyed it. If what she said about Hogwarts was really true, then perhaps he could become something of himself.

When the light stone hit the floor of his bedroom, he immediately shot up, almost as if he had been waiting for this moment all night.

Getting out of bed quietly, he bent over and picked up the paper-covered stone. _I hope it's from Lily, or not... maybe she wants to cancel. I knew this was too good to be true,_ he thought. But unraveling the paper only calmed his nerves.

**Dear Sev, meet me at the tree at 1pm tomorrow. Don't bring Petunia, she'll only cause trouble. -Lily.**

_Oh wow, _he thought. _Maybe I should bring some hair products? No, that would only offend her. _

And so, Severus went to sleep peacefully, knowing someone out there might know what he could do... and why.


	3. Chapter 3

**I have made a subtle change: they have met in early 1971, rather than at the exact same age as the default universe.**

Lily awoke with strong intentions and nothing less or more. The park at one o'clock was where she was meeting Severus for the second time, and she didn't want to make a bad impression. There was hope that he would come alone, for she despised his Muggle sister.

With the help of Muggle cleaning products, Lily found that her hair was quite nice when it was clean. Soft, too. As soon as she left the shower, Lily borrowed one of Eileen's smaller dresses that she had worn when she was younger. It was a little short and clingy, but she didn't mind.

In her small brown satchel bag, she packed three things: the drawing of Severus, a book on the history of magic and a pack of sweets she had stolen from a Muggle shop. Lily didn't condone stealing, but she was hungry, what else could she do?

Just before leaving, Lily noticed that the dress only went down to her knees, and the sleeves short too. This would not usually be an issue, but the obvious red marks and burns on her limbs were now entirely visible. Severus would know she was being hurt, and at this rate he wouldn't feel anything romantic for her, just pity. Lily thought herself to be pathetic.

"Lily?" he called. Severus sat at the bottom of the hill waiting for her. "It's me, Sev."

Without a big entrance, Lily circled the hill in her bright dress. "Hey Sev." she said in a low voice.

"Hi Lily, I got your note. How you got it through a closed window is beyond me." he laughed, and Lily smiled too.

He began to notice the several bruises and burns on Lily's arms and legs, which scared him somewhat. "Are you alright, Lily?" he asked.

She leaned on her other leg and tried her hardest to cover the bruises. "I'm fine." she scowled.

"They look pretty bad." Severus could tell she wasn't having a great time at home. "If you ever need to talk to anyone about-"

"No! I'm fine!" she yelled, interrupting him. "So, just drop it. Okay?" she snapped.

He forced a smile. "Forget it... ever happened." and Lily nodded. "So... what's in the bag?" he said, desperately trying to change the conversation.

"Nothing!" she replied quickly, not wanting him to see the drawing yet. "Just a book. It's for you, if you want it, I don't know..." she trailed off before retrieving the brown book from her bag.

"A History of Magic?" he said, admiring the book.

Lily sighed. "If you don't like it, then it's just a joke, okay?" she said in a tone that seemed sinister and arrogant.

"No, no... I love it." he said before flicking the pages and taking a look. "Who wrote this?"

"Probably a wizard author... there are loads of books on the Wizarding World, you'd love them..." Severus looked up, excited. "I could show you, but..." she avoided mentioning her home.

Severus smiled. "Next time you come to my house, bring one or two, it might just send Petunia over the edge!" they both laughed.

_His house? _She thought. _I wonder what it's like... did he say I could go? Maybe we could go now? No, it's too sudden._

"I wish we could go to Hogwarts tomorrow, it just sounds so magical." Severus said, out of the blue.

Lily found herself thinking about the day when she would leave her tragic home life and venture to the school known as Hogwarts: Witchcraft and Wizardry.

"It just sucks that we have to wait until September..." she said, swaying her arms in the warm breeze.

"Yeah, I know. Gives us plenty of time to learn about it, though." he said with a smile. "Have you done your hair?" he asked, wondering if she cleaned it for him.

Lily stopped herself from blinking out of minor shock. _Stupid Muggle shampoo, _she thought. "My mum told me to, I didn't want to." she lied, trying to avoid admitting she wanted to look nice for Severus.

"No, no, it's quite nice, actually." Severus admitted. "You shouldn't be ashamed of it, Lily." he added, in a less gleeful tone.

Lily scowled slightly. "Well it's not a skill, is it? Besides, we all can't use fancy hair products every day, so... shut it." she turned her back and messed with her hair viciously in order to revert it. "I don't care what I look like, Sev." she said defensively.

"I didn't say it to be rude, I'm just saying-" he said, before being interrupted.

"Well maybe you don't need to _say _anything. If you want to be my friend, then respect my wishes. Is that so hard?" she exclaimed at the last sentence.

Severus sighed and avoided eye contact. "No, I'm sorry. It doesn't matter what your hair looks like, all that matters is that we're going to Hogwarts soon... and then we don't need to care about what our families think of us. Because we'll be free. Just by ourselves." he said.

Lily smiled slightly at the thought of being at Hogwarts alone with Severus. Riding brooms out in the forests, sneaking desserts from the kitchen... cuddling up by the fire. It all seemed too good to be true.

"If you ever want spare clothes, Petunia's got a bunch of old ones she hasn't worn in ages." Severus added, wondering how Lily would take it.

Instead of scowling or becoming angry, Lily laughed. "Maybe, Sev, but I might catch _bitchyitis_." she joked, but in reality this made her wonder. _I'd rather wear Sev's old clothes. I bet they'd smell like him, too._

"She's fuming today, mum said she wouldn't drive her to her friend's party, so she locked herself in her room." he said.

Lily laughed and continued to pull her dress over her knees.

"You look very uncomfortable, Lily." he said while giggling.

She scowled. "It's a short dress, I'm not used to it." she stood up and brushed the grass off her back. "You're a boy, you don't have to wear skirts and dresses... you're lucky." she said, meaning every word. She didn't hate girly clothing, but it was so showy and distracting.

Severus nodded and laughed. "That's exactly what Beth thinks as well." he said, reminiscing.

Lily seemed less happy and more inquisitive. "Oh, who's Beth? You've never mentioned a Beth before." she said worryingly.

He looked up and raised his left eyebrow. "She's a girl in my teaching group. Being honest, I quite fancy her a bit." he admitted, smirking all the way through.

Lily's heart sank. _I knew it. I knew he didn't like me that way, _she thought. Her eyes seemed blank. "Oh... well, that's... nice." she said through gritted teeth.

Severus gazed into the distance and sighed. "She's got amazing dark brown hair... sorry, where was I?" he laughed, and Lily forced a small laugh, although she did not feel humoured at all.

Lily felt an uproar in her stomach. She felt sick at hearing this. "So, do you normally like girls with brown hair? My hair's close to brown..." Her sentence trailed off, allowing Severus to hear the first part of it.

"Oh, I don't know. It's not just her brown hair... her smile, her lips-" he was interrupted once more.

"I get it." she said, making Severus turn around and give her a confused look. "I get the idea, and I understand. I like boys with _white_ hair." she said. Lying was the only way to protect herself from getting hurt.

"Imagine that, a boy with bright white hair!" they both laughed. Soon they would meet a boy who had hair whiter than snow in Winter.

Soon hours had passed under the tree, and once again the skies turned to a pale gray that could only be described as the end of a day that was once bright.

"Time flies, eh?" Severus said as he stretched his arms.

Lily was once again distraught. She wanted to spend each minute of her day with him, but it would be impossible until they got to Hogwarts. When they finally got to the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, they could sneak into each others dorms and tell stories until they fell asleep.

"I guess... bye Sev, I'll see you around." she muttered as her voice shifted to a monotonous tone.

"This is just an idea..." Lily's heart rose again as Severus put forward something spectacular. "But do you want to come round my house?" he asked.

She let out a small squeak of happiness, but covered her mouth quickly. "Sure, that'd be wonderful, or good, whatever." But she didn't want to avoid embarrassing herself, she was over the moon. Whatever bad things that had happened to her over the years would soon seem like nothing.

* * *

><p>"Mom, I'm home!" Severus yelled in the front doorway after letting Lily walk in first. "I've brought Lily with me, is that alright?"<p>

Mr. Evans walked to the door first and greeted them both. "Hi Sev... oh, hello, you must be Lilian..." Severus shook his head out of Lily's sight. "Lily? That's right, Lily, make yourself at home." As she walked into the light of the household, Mr. Evans noticed the marks on her arms and legs. He decided not to say anything.

Petunia sat at the dining room table, eying the conversation as if she was a part of it. "What's _she _doing here, Sev?" Petunia asked in a sinister tone.

"Be nice, 'Tunia, she's our guest." Mr. Evans said. "The bathroom's on the second floor, first door on your left."

Lily spoke in a quiet voice. "Oh, okay, thanks." She was still gob-smacked that yesterday she met Severus, a boy who wanted to be her friend, and now she was standing in his dining room.

Mrs. Evans entered the room briefly, poking her head through the kitchen door. "Lily, sweetheart, are you staying for tea?" she asked pleasantly.

Petunia scoffed. "Um, if you don't mind..." Lily replied. She hadn't eaten much in the past few days, and she was starving.

"Hold on, you're actually letting her eat our food? At our table?" Petunia asked.

Mr. Evans sighed. "Actually, it's _our_food, and _our _table, and we'll share it with anyone we like, including Severus' friends. Understand?" Mr. Evans lectured.

"But she's a freak! She told Severus he was a wizard, and then convinced him to join her weird cult where they hurt themselves for no reason!" Petunia replied.

Mr. Evans looked angrily at his daughter. "Now that is enough. If you want any supper, you'll stop acting so immature." he said.

Petunia crossed her arms. "She'd better not touch anything that I own..." she muttered angrily.

Lily sat on Severus' neatly-made bed. On the walls were posters of music bands, and films. Shelfs were lined with books of children's tales, and fantasy. Lily noticed that on his desk were pieces of paper, not with drawings like hers, but instead musical lyrics. She was getting to know more of Severus, and it thrilled her. A little part of her wondered if one day they'd get married and live in a big house like this, and force Petunia and Tobias to carry their drinks and clean the floors. But what she had now was phenomenal. She didn't want it to end.

"Sorry about Tuney, she's just a little jealous that I've got a best friend, and she hasn't seen any of hers for days..." he said, comforting Lily.

Lily gazed at Severus'. She loved everything about him... except for the fact that he was related to Petunia. "Thanks for having me, you've got a really nice house." she said.

"No problem." Severus replied, smiling. It was only until the potion wore off did he start to stare at Lily's left eye.

"Is everything alright, Sev?" she asked, wondering what he was doing.

"Lily... your eye... it's just gone black." he said. It was true, Lily had used one of her mother's illusionary potions to hide the blemish that she had been given by her drunken father.

"Oh." she said, feeling the area that was now non-enchanted. "I walked into a door." she said quickly, desperate to get off the subject.

"Lily, please, let me-" he said.

She interrupted. "Sev, it's nothing, just-"

But she was now interrupted by Severus himself. "No, Lily, you've got to stop hiding these things and tell someone what's happening to you! You don't deserve this, Lily, you're a friendly, pretty, lovable girl and I can't stand to see you hurt." he said in a blur.

Lily's eyes went wide open. _Pretty? Lovable? Why did I use that stupid potion?_ She thought._  
><em>


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: ****It's a shorter chapter, which leaves out a few details. Sorry about that.**

"Two weeks... what am I going to do on my own?" Lily asked Severus impatiently.

Severus laughed. Lily's initial bad reaction to his upcoming vacation was inevitable, but she was always cute when she whined about things.

"You'll be fine, it's only two weeks!" he laughed, but Lily felt uneasy. "I'll bring you back a souvenir from the Eiffel Tower."

She shook her head. "My dad will either destroy it or sell it. Don't bother." she said rudely.

Severus leaned against the tree and held onto Lily's hand. "Maybe when you get to know my parents more, you can go with us on the next one... we're already going to be bunking with each other at Hogwarts." Severus said enthusiastically.

Lily was unsure about that. She originally hoped that they would be in the same house, be it Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff... or even _Gryffindor_. But due to recent conversations with her unstable mother, it became clear to Lily that due to her heritage and personality, that she would probably end up in Slytherin. Severus, a Muggleborn (or so she thought) wouldn't likely be in Slytherin. She had lived in the fear of losing someone she barely even had a grip on. Something that would ultimately bring her downfall.

"You're my best friend, Lily. I'd never find you boring or mean... well, you're not a bucket of smiles, but that's just who you are. I can't blame you for it..." he went on.

Lily scoffed. "You're not so pleasant yourself sometimes, Sev..." Lily spat out. She immediately regretted it, but it was better she stood her ground.

"I'll see you in two weeks, Lil'." he normally shortened her name before they left each other's company. It sounded more simplistic and therefore more conclusive.

As soon as he left, Severus thought about the past few weeks he had spent with Lily. It had definitely became more... interesting. But that was mostly due to the fact that he would soon become a wizard. If not for magical ability, Lily would seem less special.

First of all, he had just received his letter from the headmaster of Hogwarts; Albus Dumbledore. The fact that he was soon going to a magical castle blew his mind, and his family alike.

Petunia's reaction to Severus' abilities were different of that than the universe where both magical children remained in their biological families. Now that she no longer had a little sister who she thought got more attention and praise than her, Petunia still treated Severus like an annoying little brother, but there was much less resentment. Petunia was the only little girl her parents had. For now.

* * *

><p>"Mum... mum, please talk to me." Lily whispered, struggling to gain her mother's attention. "Mum, you can't let him do this." Tears again formed in Lily's eyes, but it wasn't a surprise that her mother remained silent. All her life, her mother had remained in this almost comatose state. He had ruined her. Turned her into a wreck who couldn't be saved. Tobias Snape was a bastard, and as soon as Lily got her wand, she swore to herself that she would punish Tobias for his bad deeds. There was something dark inside Lily that could only be developed in long term situations.<p>

"Lily... Lily, get out..." she muttered, much to Lily's excitement.

Her eyes widened quickly. "W-what? Mum... mum, speak up!" she said quickly, hoping her mother wouldn't drift off again. "Mum!" she said in a louder voice.

Then came a harsh noise from the wall. Three noises, in fact. "What are you doing in there?" Tobias shouted. Without hesitation, the door blew open.

Lily gulped and pretended to clean around the area on the bed her mum was laying. "Sorry... thought I saw a mouse."

Tobias sneered. "Stupid little girl... scared of a rodent. Not too different from yourself then, is it?" he continued to laugh abusively at his adoptive daughter.

"Whatever..." she said half-heartedly.

He suddenly noticed that Lily was tending to her mother by putting a blanket around her cold body. "What're you doin' that for?" Lily gulped again. "She's a grown woman, she doesn't need a bloody child taking care of her... pathetic." he left the room with a cold bottle wrapped in his stubby fingers.

Lily sighed. As soon as Tobias was out of sight, she leaned towards her mother. "Mum..."

Eileen responded fairly quickly this time. "Yes, sweetheart?" she said from her frozen position on the bed.

"It's just... I don't know whether or not me and Severus will be friends if he's in Gryffindor and I end up in Slytherin."

Lily's mother sat up and patted Lily on her knee. "Lily Evelyn Snape, I'll have you know I was in Slytherin for seven years, and I turned out... fine. I graduated without any scars or broken bones."

Lily scowled. "But then you married a filthy Muggle."

"Lily, sweetheart, he's just... a little-"

She interrupted her mother. "No, mum, you only just told me to get out of this house. You gave me a warning. Don't say you didn't mean it." Lily felt somewhat guilty, but she needed to make her point.

"In a few weeks, you'll be at Hogwarts, the safest place in the Wizarding World. There are no Muggles... just wizards and witches... it'll all be worth it in the end, dear, I promise..." she said gratifyingly to her daughter before falling asleep.

* * *

><p>Severus had written Lily a postcard on their second night in France.<p>

_Dear Lily,_

_I wish you could be here with us in Paris._

_Some of the sights we've seen since getting off the plane have been absolutely fantastic._

_I can't imagine it compares to Hogwarts, but it's a start._

_Petunia has already been rude to two French waiters. I'm fairly sure she ate pain au chocolat with saliva in it!_

_Dad is a bit weird when it comes to speaking the foreign language. We got a few weird looks when dad called the stewardess "senorita"._

_Missing you. Can't wait until we ride on the Hogwarts Express._

_-Severus._

As soon as Severus finished the postcard, he gave it to his mother to send the next day.

Of course, his efforts to keep in touch with Lily during his holiday were intercepted by his older sister.

"Even on holiday, you're still talking to that freak." she sinisterly shot at Severus.

The young boy stood up from his sitting position on the hotel bed and grew angry at Petunia. "Just... shut it. You don't know anything about Lily, okay? She's funnier, kinder and less ugly than you!" He yelled back.

"You're so unaware of what's really happening, aren't you? You don't like Lily, you just feel sorry for her..." Severus' emotion changed. "You don't actually like her, you pity her." she continued.

"No, you're wrong. I like Lily, she's a good friend. Unlike you." he raged, before leaving the room.

Petunia peeked her head round the door he had exited from. "You know I'm right!"


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:**** There are secret meanings behind the types of wood in Severus and Lily's wands. Ten points to Gryffindor if you can find them ;)**

"This is brilliant, Lily. Here we are, almost at Diagon Elley, it's just brilliant." Severus said in excitement.

Lily laughed. "It's Diagon _Alley_, Sev." He blushed at this realization. "What kind of wand do you think I'll be given? I hope they don't give me one that's got a rough handle, or one that's too long and won't fit in my pocket." Lily worried.

"Or one that's flexible!" Severus retorted.

Mr. Evans and Mrs. Evans were at the front of the car, looking for a place to park.

"This is a nightmare... can't believe it." Mr. Evans muttered. "We don't have to drive you two to Hogwarts, do we?" he asked in fear of traffic.

The red haired girl let out a cheeky laugh. "There's a train that takes us there... it's called the Hogwarts Express, I think. Unless they changed it since my mum was at school." she explained. Lily hoped that her information of this magical world didn't deter Severus from their journey to becoming magical folk.

"Well, I think it's wonderful that you're going to become... wizards? That's right, wizards. Don't you think, love?" she asked her husband.

Mr. Evans looked at her blankly. "Huh, what?" He gripped the steering wheel tight. "Come on... come on..."

Severus sighed. "Dad, just let us out at the Leaky Cauldron and you can find a place to park."

_He remembers the name, _she thought. _He really is serious about going to Hogwarts._

"Come on, the pub keeper won't wait forever..." Lily muttered as she strolled off with Severus who was hurrying behind.

Entering the small pub in London, Lily's parents instantly became concerned for their son.

Mr. Evans looked around as if it was a prison cell. "Uh, Sev buddy, are you sure this is the right place?" he asked worryingly.

Severus too looked confused. "I think so... it is Diagon Alley, isn't it Lily?"

Lily stifled a rude laugh and spoke in hushed tones to the Snape family. "This is just the entrance. Follow me." she said with anticipation.

Mr. Barterbrew sat solemnly behind the bar reading from The Daily Prophet. A groan escaped his lips as he read the Quidditch scores of the week.

The red-haired girl sneaked up to the bar and surprised the pub keeper. "Hello Aryn, how's the upkeep?" she rested her arms on the wet surface of the bar.

The pub keeper looked up happily to see Lily's face. "Hullo Lily, this your family?"

Lily thought about that possibility for a moment. "No, no, this is my best friend Severus and his parents. He's a Muggleb- wizard like me, isn't that cool?"

After being let into the wonder that was Diagon Alley, Severus and Lily's eyes opened wider than a Quidditch pitch during the World Cup.

"Wow, Lily, this is amazing. If Hogwarts is anything like it-"

Lily interrupted Severus like a bullet. "My mum says there are staircases that go up hundreds of feet, and some that go random places on Fridays..." Lily almost lost her breath as she rambled about the magical school.

"There's Ollivanders! We should go get our wands!" Severus said excitedly. Lily blushed, the same thing she did whenever Severus was forward.

"Hold on, don't run off!" Mrs. Evans exclaimed as the two kids sprinted past the magical wizarding shop. "Fine, go on then."

"Did you give her the money then, the new money?" Mr. Evans asked incompetently to which Mrs. Evans sighed. Severus' parents definitely weren't wizards or witches. For now.

Ollivander eyed the two children as they walked into his humble abode. To truly choose the wand for these two magical children would be a difficult task based on general appearance. But the wand chooses the wizard...

"So... can we buy a wand? Are they all out? Are we too late?" Severus said, his worry escalating as he spoke.

The wand maker chuckled as the characteristics of the black-haired boy soon revealed themselves. "Mrs. Snape, your friend surely is a worried one, isn't he?"

Lily frowned. "You can't call me Mrs. Snape anymore, I've changed my last name to Prince... unofficially."

Like many wizards, Garrick Ollivander knew just of the family that Lily came from. Despite the marrying of Tobias Snape, Eileen Prince was a respectable witch who kept herself to herself and always followed the rules. What she dealt with in later life with her abusive husband was undeserving.

Ollivander, clapping his hands together once, admired the two. "So... who's going first?"

Severus looked worryingly at Lily. What if a wand didn't choose him?

"I'll go... maybe Sev just needs to see how it's done..." she said cockily.

"Very well, Mrs. _Prince_..."

The wand maker strolled through the corridor of his own wand shelves. Finding a wand for a girl as complicated as Lily would take a few tries at best. He picked out a short box that retained no scratches or rips.

"How about this one?" he said, handing the opened box to Lily who took the wand.

In her footsteps, Lily felt a conflict with the wooden object in her hand. Was this the wand? It felt odd, to be sure.

"Go on then, give it a flick!" Ollivander said enthusiastically.

And so she did. With a swift movement of the wand she had only just gotten to brace herself with, a strange series of sparks flew out the end and fell hopelessly to the floor before vanishing.

"Hmm... perhaps a different wood." he said. The wand maker picked up the wand he had been saving out of interest. "A particularly interesting wand for a particularly interesting witch... give this one a try."

But unfortunately, the same spark effect seemed to repeat itself, this time bouncing off the walls.

"Ah." he said gloomly. Lily looked distraught as her attempts to find her true wand failed. "Maybe it's a simple wand you require."

This time, the wand worked. It produced multicoloured musical notes that sang out in beautiful harmonious tones. It was a dark wand, made of pine with dragon heartstring.

"Very good, Lily, very good..." he said, applauding to the musical display. "Mr. Evans." Severus gulped. "I believe it's your turn."

Unlike Lily's wand, Severus found his wand within a matter of seconds. It was made of cedar with unicorn hair.

"It's... it's... unbelievable!" Severus said triumphantly. Lily giggled at his excitement.

Ollivander too chuckled. "I have not once met a Muggleborn without the very same reaction. Working in wand making, sometimes... sometimes you truly see people for who they are... rather than the people they set out to be."

* * *

><p>"Mine's a different colour than yours, Lily. How come?" Severus inquired.<p>

"It's made out of different wood, I think." Lily said as they left the small wand shop together. "I'm glad mine's not long and thin, it case it might break."

"Next we should go to the robe shop, to get our robes of course. My parents have given me some money to buy both of our robe supplies so-"

Lily interrupted him. "Wait what?" she said surprised.

"Did your mum not tell you? Oh... my parents sort of offered to cover the cost of your school supplies... I thought you'd be okay with it..."

She broke out in a temper. "Do you think I need charity, Sev?" she yelled at him with a few wizards and witches directing their attention to them.

"No, I just think it's easier this way." Severus said, stuttering slightly. "It's not like your mum or dad bring in a lot of money, so..." he stopped talking once he knew where he should have stopped originally.

She suddenly felt insignificant and worthless. "You think I'm a lost cause, don't you?"

"Well, uh..." he muttered.

"You _do, _you bloody do think I'm a lost cause!"

"No Lily, I didn't say that!" Severus replied.

"Well you might as well have!" she stormed off leaving Severus standing alone and confused.

Severus put both hands over his face and muttered to himself. _Why do we keep doing this, _he thought.

Lily had ran off to a place where only Severus knew she could be.

A few minutes later, Severus found Lily sulking near a pair of owls in Eeylops Owl Emporium. He walked in with a sorrow expression on his face.

They both exchanged a look before the silence was finally broken.

"Is this how it's always going to be between us?" Severus asked with remorse.

Lily nodded slightly. "Probably."

Silence resumed as the two stood as far away from each other in order to avoid tension.

"I don't want to lose you, Lily." he said almost blankly.

"What do you mean by that, Sev?" she asked with hope of a deeper answer.

"I don't want to lose you because you don't want to lose me. It's a great thing, I suppose." he let out a small laugh. "What we have is better than magic or potions or wands... we have friendship."

Lily scoffed. "How very corny." she brushed hair in a way that indicated she did care how it looked. "I can't lose you... Sev, I can't. You're the only person I have left. And the only one I can admit it to."

"Then let's not let anything tear us apart... no names, no curses, no secret affairs..." she laughed this time.

They both resumed their usual position as friends by walking side-by-side, admiring the owls and making petite jokes about the looks on the birds' faces.

"Ooh look, a snowy owl. I think I saw one of these on holiday. Aren't they beautiful?" Severus said.

Lily admired the white owl that stared back wistfully into her eyes. "Yeah... they're lovely."


	6. Chapter 6

Severus and Lily sat impatiently in a compartment on the Hogwarts Express.

"So Petunia did the weirdest thing before we got on the train... she hugged me." Severus said in shock.

"What? Did you wash your hands?" Lily joked.

"I'm just happy she showed a sign of love for another human being... she's finally growing up." he replied.

Another minute went by until two unknown faces popped up in the compartment door.

"Uh oh... knew we wouldn't get a compartment to ourself." Lily muttered.

Severus whispered into her ear. "Be nice."

The two young boys entered without worrying who was inside.

"So what house do you wanna be in?" Sirius asked his new friend.

"I'm going to be in Gryffindor, where the brave dwell at heart. Just like my father. I bet these lot will probably be in Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff, they don't look like Gryffindor material." James Potter said obnoxiously.

"Aren't there four houses?" Severus said before Lily could insult the two boys.

"Of course, there's Slytherin too, but it's for Dark wizards who like hexxing all the cowardly Hufflepuffs." James said proudly.

Sirius nodded. "All my family were in Slytherin and they're the biggest bunch of Dark wizards I've ever met!"

Lily scowled. "My _mum _was in Slytherin. Are you calling my mum a Dark witch?" Lily said as she curled her pink fist proudly by her side.

James backed away on his seat. "Sometimes people get in just because they're Purebloods, but most of Slytherin are evil." he said.

The red haired girl squinted sinisterly at the boys and turned around to stare out the window.

Severus, eager to change the conversation, spoke aloud. "I'm Severus Evans, and this is Lily Snape."

Sirius whispered to James. "I've never heard of the _Snape _family... her mum must be more evil than mine."

Lily heard the whisper and stood up quickly, she was about to take out her wand before Severus stopped her.

Severus quickly pulled down on Lily's collar, indicating to her to sit down.

"I bet she was about to hex you, James! Pure Slytherin material! You'd better not follow her to Slytherin, Severus, you'd be better off in Gryffindor."

Lily growled through her gritted teeth. She rubbed her neck around the area that her collar had been yanked.

"She has some anger issues, that's all..." Lily blushed and turned her head avoiding the three boys. "I don't believe anyone is truly 'evil'... I believe in giving people the chance to be good or bad."

Sirius beamed. "Exactly, just because my family are a bunch of villainous bastards doesn't mean I have to be that way."

James suddenly snapped out it. "I actually _haven't _heard of the Snape family... how come her mum was in Slytherin?" James asked, much less obnoxiously than before.

Without waiting a second, Lily turned to James and snapped at him. "She married a Muggle called Tobias Snape, for your information..." The two boys looked slightly shocked. "Come on, Sev, let's go somewhere else..."

They both exited the compartment, but not before Sirius could get a message through to him.

"Remember, Severus, Gryffindor is good, Slytherin is downright evil..." Sirius reminded Severus.

* * *

><p>"Sirius Black." Professor McGonagall called out. Sirius made his way to the hat somewhat nervously. What if he ended up in Slytherin like the rest of his family?<p>

"Hmm... you come from a great Pureblood family, very promising for a Slytherin..." Sirius shook his head angrily. "No? But you'd do so well- look's like there's no changing your mind... you'd better be in Gryffindor!"

James Potter clapped loudly from the line as his new best friend made his way into Gryffindor.

"Severus Evans." He sat down as the Hat was placed onto his head. "Hmm... something tells me you were raised by Muggles? But there's nothing Pureblood left in you... you'll do good in Gryffindor!"

Many more students made their way into their houses as the Sorting Hat chose the houses for each student.

"Remus Lupin." McGonagall called out. A small shy boy walked nervously to the seat. After a few moments, it called out "Ravenclaw!".

"Mary Macdonald." McGonagall called out. A tall dark-haired girl walked to the seat. After a few moments, it called out "Gryffindor!".

"Peter Pettigrew." McGonagall called out.. A short chubby boy waddled to the seat. After a few moments, it called out "Hufflepuff!".

It was almost as if a change of fate had took place as the two boys were housed. But nobody would ever know.

"James Potter." He made his way to the seat confidently. "Gryffindor!"

Making his way to the table, he noticed the black-haired boy he met on the train. "Severus, you didn't take that weird girl's advice then? Congratulations!" he patted Severus on the back and sat down next to him and Sirius.

Soon it was Lily's turn. Severus obviously couldn't be in Slytherin, he was a Muggleborn (or so she thought). But the Hat would automatically sort her into Slytherin.

"Lily Snape". She sat on the seat impatiently.

"Interesting... very interesting..." the Hat pondered. "Raised by a witch and a Muggle, but your blood tells a different story... you'd be great in Slytherin, but that's rather unusual... perhaps your loyal side will flourish in Gryffindor!"

She sighed a breath of relief, but she was also confused. As she looked over to the Gryffindor table, she noticed Severus sitting next to the imbeciles from the train. She joined him, but hoped the boys would leave her alone.

"What's got her knickers in a twist?" James asked.

Lily started to blush but continued to be angry. "Shut up, you twat." she picked up an apple and threw it directly at James chest.

One of the Prefects on the table noticed this and raised her voice. "Don't throw apples! Ten points from Gryffindor!"

Sirius and James both scoffed and got angry at Lily. "Thanks a lot, Lily..." Sirius said angrily.

Severus rolled his eyes. "Lay off her, James."

James laughed. "You have to defend your friend a lot, you know that Sev? You should probably let her burn herself out, like a candle."

Lily kicked James under the table.

"Ow!" James yelled. "The bitch kicked me!"

The Prefect shouted at both of them. "Right, come with me..." she grabbed the two kids by the collars and took them out of the Great Hall.

As the four entered the Gryffindor common room, James continued his rant against Lily. "You've already gotten me into a detention on the first day, you freak."

Lily's eyes flashed back to the many times that her father, Petunia, and strangers had called her a freak. She was at Hogwarts with other witches and wizards. She was no longer a freak, right? Apparently not.

"I-i'm not a freak..." Lily said pathetically.

James laughed. "You're certainly not normal."

"I'm not... a freak." Lily continued.

"Shut up about that already, okay guys?" Severus said.

"I'm going to bed." Lily said.

"Goodnight, Lil'." Severus said.

"Oh Sirius, I can show you my pranking kit now that my trunk's upstairs. Hey Sev, you wanna see it?"

Severus shook his head. "I might just read a book or something."

"Alright." he said. "Wait, Sev..." he said before Severus could leave. "Not to be mean, but why _do _you hang out with Lily?"

"I don't know... she's nice to me, but she can be a bit fragile with other people."

Sirius laughed. "We know that... but, you're at a new school with loads of people who could be your friend- our friend, even. So why cling onto a mean girl who probably won't like any of your other friends?"

"In a way, I guess I feel sorry for her. Before she came to Hogwarts she spent her days hiding behind a tree."

"Hah, makes sense."

Lily stood on the staircase listening into the conversation. She was not pleased.


	7. Chapter 7

The first few weeks at Hogwarts had been eventful for Severus, Lily, James and Sirius. Despite Severus' friendship with the two cocky Gryffindors, Lily still wanted nothing to do with them and made it clear to them any time she had the chance.

"_Snape_, stop chewing so loud, you're giving me a bloody headache." James complained.

Lily threw her fork aside. "I told you, my family's name is _Prince_, so if you have to call me by my surname, use that one." she snapped.

"But you do eat loudly..." Sirius added.

Lily, now with a mouthful of toast, snapped at Sirius. "Who asked you?"

A moment of silence took place before James did his traditional side-comment to Sirius. "She's just moody because _Severus_ isn't around."

"What?" she asked in confusion.

"Come on, you basically rely on Sev to do anything. Just last week in Herbology, you stood on your own for fifteen minutes waiting for Sev to help you."

Lily scoffed. "Says you! You basically live with James. You sleep in the same room, you take the same classes..."

James laughed. "It's _Hogwarts_, we can't help it if we have an awesome friendship."

Sirius and James high-fived without even planning it. They did have a naturally good friendship.

"Where is he anyway?" Sirius asked.

"Owlery. His mum and dad have sent him about a hundred letters." James said.

"How come you're not hanging onto his shoulder then, Lily?" Sirius asked while giggling.

She scoffed. "I have other friends besides Sev, you know... god." she said whilst stuffing her face with toast.

"Oh yeah, like who?"

"Well, there's... Julian Fitchley from Transfiguration."

"You sit next to him, that doesn't make him your friend." Sirius pointed out.

Lily looked slightly confused. "It doesn't? No, it doesn't. I was... joking." she stood up and took the rest of her toast with her. "I'm leaving... try not to miss me too much."

James yelled after her. "Tell Severus we said 'hi'!"

She flipped her middle finger up as she left the Great Hall, something that annoyed the Prefect girl on her table.

Without saying a word, Sirius looked at James in confusion. "Don't you think it's kind of sad she doesn't have any other friends?"

His friend rolled his eyes. "Not really, considering she naturally drives people away with her greasy red hair."

"Sev once let slip that she doesn't have a great life at home... I think I know how she feels..."

"She never washes, either... wait, what?" he said in shock.

"Well I haven't got a great family. Sure it's big and it's got no squibs, but it's full of horrible minded people."

James nodded. "But there's a big difference between you and _Mrs. Prince_; you're a nice guy. Like me."

* * *

><p>A girl in Gryffindor called Elizabeth was scared by the proposal she had been given. "Why would I want to be friends with you, Lily?"<p>

She was slightly disheartened. "Why not? I'm smart, witty, and I could probably make your lives a lot more interesting... no offence."

"I was going to say that you're really rude to all of us... you've just proved my point."

Lily looked slightly confused. "Rude? When have I been rude to any of you?" she looked at the group of girls who were frowning at her.

Elizabeth sighed. "You say we're all "fake", you laugh out loud whenever something bad happens to anyone, and I'm pretty sure you said the M-word in the dormitory."

Lily scoffed. "I'm just telling the truth... and what's wrong with saying that word? Nobody in our dormitory is even a Muggleborn."

"Except your best friend Severus? Yeah, thought so."

One girl shook her head in disapproval. "You can't say anything about other people, you're not so perfect yourself."

The red haired girl forced a laugh. "What do you mean by that?"

One of the girls laughed. "Have you looked in a mirror lately?" followed by "Ever heard of shampoo?"

"No offence, but it looks like you're wearing a sixth year boy's robes."

Lily looked down at her clothes. "It's not my fault if I can't afford things..." her voice faded to a pathetic tone. "I don't care what people think..."

"So you call people names and act like a jerk? I don't know what Sev sees in you..." she said harshly.

Lily reached for her wand in her pocket. "Well... Sev doesn't care about what clothes I wear or what I say, he likes me for who I am."

"Likes you? Or just pities you. There's a difference."

The other girls laughed. "So sad..." one of the girls said.

"I thought I heard James Potter and Sirius Black talking to Severus about you living in a tree."

The girls started to laugh.

"I don't... I don't live in a t-tree..." her lip quivered due to panic.

"Please go away. Before you do more harm to us or yourself." Elizabeth said abruptly.

* * *

><p>"So she just laughed at you? That's really rude." Remus said.<p>

Lily sighed. "Yeah, they're all a bunch of... _fake bitches_." she said angrily whilst stabbing her quill into her parchment.

"Well, you don't call them that to their faces, do you?" he pondered.

Her eyes blinked wide. "Um, no... I don't."

"Oh... that's good then." he took out his hand and presented it to Lily. "Anyway, I'm Remus Lupin. Must say, I've never heard of the Snape family."

Lily scoffed but took the hand anyway. "My mother was Eileen Prince but married a Muggle called Tobias Snape..." her words drifted off as she remembered how awful it was to describe her father's relation with her mother.

"Ah. Good to see your not a Pureblood fanatic like some of the people you meet here." Lily's eyebrow raised. "I'm not saying all Pureblood's are evil, it's just nice to have a conversation without the M-word popping up."

"Yeah... that would be terrible." she continued to write in order to keep her thoughts to herself.

Remus took out his Charms notebook from his bookbag.

"With Wingardium Leviosa, it's important to pronounce each syllable properly. For example." Remus lifted his wand and pointed it at Lily's quill. "_Wingardium... leviosa."_ after a moment of hesitation, the quill gently lifted itself into the air and floated.

Lily, being a talented witch since the age of five, knew exactly how to pronounce spells. So when Remus instructed her in such a patronizing way, Lily nodded her head politely and acted like she had just learnt how to do it.

"So Lily, what subjects do you like?"

Without a moment of hesitation, Lily answered whole-heartedly. "Defence Against the Dark Arts, definitely, or Potions."

"Oh of course, I remember when you corrected Professor Slughorn on the uses of a bezoar." Lily laughed coyly. "You and Severus Evans are the best he's seen in years, apparently."

She grinned, until seeing James Potter.

"Alright Snape?" Lily sighed at hearing that awful name being used in her reference. "Does Severus know you're cheating on him?" he joked.

"Does Sirius know you sleep with a cuddly Hippogriff toy?"

James' jaw dropped. "How did you know?"

"Severus told me."

"Of course he bloody did, he's only your other half. I still don't know why you like him so much, considering he hasn't got any connections to the underworld like you."

She scoffed and crossed her arms. "Very funny, I like him because we're friends."

"I think so." he looked over to Remus who was hiding in a book. "Who is he, anyway?"

"His name is Remus, but I doubt you care. All you want to do is make fun of me."

James laughed before seeing that Lily had developed tears in her eyes. "I'll never understand girls like you, Snape... but then again, there is only one girl like you."

Noticing she had rested her head in her hands, he felt sorry for her. "I shouldn't be telling you this, but... Severus is kind of going out with someone. But like you said, you're just friends so it doesn't matter."

Lily's heart sank. For a split second, her entire life seemed like nothing compared to this moment. What if she had lost him forever. "Who?" she paused. "Who? Who's he going out with?"

"Some girl in Gryffindor... Elizabeth, I think."


End file.
